So the last week or so I have been thinking a lot about what would drive a person to take their life. I know this is a depressing topic but bear with me. About a week ago I was on the LRT home from Institute Choir practice. I was sitting in the front car of the train a few rows back from the driver area. We were coming in to a station and starting to slow down, when the driver jumps on the breaks. All I heard from the driver was "He jumped. I hit him. He is under the train." It is weird to think that just a few short seconds can change someone's life forever. That driver will never be the same. That victims' family will never be the same.
It makes you wonder what is so bad in someone's life that the only chance they think to escape is to end their life. Was this person's life so devoid of love that they had no one to turn to? Did something happen recently in their life that was out of their control that caused them to take this kind of action? So I got to thinking how can I make sure that no one feels unloved and forgotten by me. I want everyone that I meet to feel like they are important to me. I know that love can only go so far. In the end love is not enough for some of these people. No matter how much you show them your love it might not be enough to make them not do the unthinkable.
I hope that because of this incident that I will be more a little more kind to everyone I meet. Those people that I meet on the train or at the store are my spiritual brothers and sisters. Jesus Christ wishes us to be His hands, and lift those who are heavy laden and burdened with all manner of woes. In the word of Elder Jeffery R. Holland from October General Conference, "Rich or poor, we are to “do what we can” when others are in need." and "I also know that although I may not be my brother’s keeper, I am my brother’s brother, and “because I have been given much, I too must give." These statements really hit me hard. IT reminded me that I have a lot more to give in this life than what I thought. I am responsible for the happiness of the people that I can come in contact with. And they always say you never know what a simple smile or a simple hello can do to change someone's day. I know that I have had days brightened because someone simply said "Hi, Amy."
I wish that we can all be a little kinder and even though it may not solve the worlds problems it can solve someone's problems. In the words of Mother Theresa, " “What we do is nothing but a drop in the ocean,” she would say on another occasion. “But if we didn’t do it, the ocean would be one drop less [than it is].”(Elder Holland, Oct 2014). Let us all try and be a little bit more kind, caring, and compassionate. You may never know the results of one small act of kindness. But one small act can change the world of someone in need.
